Cat's Eye Moon
by Lillystream
Summary: Lunarpaw is not a cat who falls in love very easily. But what will she do when three toms come into her life and start changing her feelings on love? Is currently being rewritten and is partially on Hiatus until I finish more of my other stories.
1. Prolouge

This story is being rewritten so that it doesn't suck as much as it did. This is one of my first fanfictions and I hope it's gotten better and more enjoyable. Please read and review!

**Prologue**

The Thunderclan camp was almost silent when Lionblaze, Mousewhisker, and Firestar left it. Snow and frost clotted their fur and weighed them down. The claws of cold bit into them as icy winds picked up and rustled their fur. Firestar had told the two younger toms that they were going to meet with a she-cat that he had found at the abandoned twoleg den. She had told the ginger tom that she was having kits and she preferred to have them in the clans, since she didn't want them to grow up around twolegs and she couldn't take care of them in the wild.

Firestar had offered to take in her kits as a part of Thunderclan if she wished. There were very few apprentices in training in the clan; that and there were hardly any kits on the way. She had accepted his offer and told Firestar to come back to the twoleg den in three moons' time, so they would be closer to being born. So, he decided to take Mousewhisker and Lionblaze with him to ensure the safety of the she-cat and her mate.

The abandoned den that was decided as the meeting place, located at the farthest point in between Thunderclan and Shadowclan territory, could barely be seen without the light of the moon. Snow blanketed the ground with its soft white flakes and its ironically sharp cold. It was the middle of Leafbare and prey seemed to refuse to show their scrawny faces around the place when hunting patrols came around to hunt for the clan.

Two cats stepped into the clearing, allowing the beautiful crescent moon to shine over them and bathe them in light. One was a large, handsome golden tom with darker ginger stripes and gray eyes whose muscles rippled under his pelt. The other was a beautiful blue-gray she-cat with a white chest, belly, and paws. She had deep green-blue eyes and a plump, round belly that was heavy with her kits. And, even though the she-cat had a plump belly and the tom was so strong and noble-looking, their ribs stuck out, showing that they had been starved.

"Shall we find a place to rest?" the tom asked, glancing at his mate. She was silent for a moment, thinking, before she replied:

"No. I wish to reach the camp before our kits are born."

"That clan… thing you were telling me about earlier, right?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. "Do you really think that these wildcats will protect you and the kits? I heard from Harley that, when prey is scarce, they eat their kits alive! I don't want our kits growing up in a place like that!"

"Oh, nonsense!" she snapped at him, her tail twitching in aggravation. "The tom I met was their leader, and he seems like a very nice cat. He told me that the kits will be well taken care of, as well. I'd rather them grow up in a place that teaches them to protect themselves than in some upwalker's home, learning to eat pellets out of a plastic bowl and beg to be petted and pampered. Wouldn't you rather them be dignified with value and ideals rather than disgustingly soft and plump with no mind of their own?"

"You may have a point," he relented, "but how can we trust them?"

"Do you doubt my judgment?"

"No, I don't. Not at all, but that's not the-"

"Than we should be able to trust them well enough to care for our kits before we are able to return to them!" she interrupted before the tom could utter another word against her.

After walking on and on until the sun had begun to sneak over the mountain peaks, the blue gray she-cat stopped walking. The ginger striped tom had been walking directly behind her, pretty much asleep on his large paws, nearly bumped into her after her abrupt stop.

"What's the matter? Are we there yet? Why'd ya stop?"

"Yes, we're here," she sighed affectionately at the clumsy tom. "The leader promised to come here three moons ago and come today. This is the meeting spot we agreed on," she flicked her tail toward the den. "He should be coming any second now."

Just as she said, a dark ginger tom with dark green eyes stepped out of the heavy underbrush of the territory. The morning sun reflected off his pelt and made it look like flames were licking at his fur. He was followed by dark gray and white tom with pale yellow-green eyes and a large golden tom with amber eyes.

"Hello, Firestar." The she-cat trotted up to him, her heavy tummy waving to and fro. After a hesitant moment, her mate decided to go with her to confront the patrol.

"Hello, Sapphire. It is nice to see you again." The ginger tom sat down and tucked his tail politely around his paws. He flicked his ears and his two warriors followed his example. Sapphire sat and wrapped her tail delicately around her paws while the golden tom plopped down and swished his tail back and forth in annoyance.

"It is good to see you as well. This is my mate, Storm," she flicked her tail tip at him. "I'm sorry to be rude, but, what are the names of the two you've brought with you?"

"These are two of my warriors. This," he nodded his head at the big gray-and-white tom, "is Mousewhisker. And, this," he flicked his tail at the amber-eyed tom, "is Lionblaze, my grandson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," they mewed at the same time.

"It is my pleasure as well," Sapphire dipped her head to the three Thunderclan toms. "Shall we head on to your camp? I promise we shall work as hard as the other cats until these kits are born. Then, I promise we'll be out of your fur and on our way back to the twoleg place, as you call it."

"Alright," Firestar agreed, "let us return to camp. Lionblaze, please show Storm around the territory tomorrow to show him where he can hunt. Mousewhisker, please show Sapphire the medicine den so she can help Jayfeather and be sure to escort her when she needs to leave camp on an errand."

"Yes, Firestar," the two meowed and padded on either side of the two loners.

Upon arrival at camp, the sun was fully visible overhead and the camp was a buzz of activity. Cats shared tongues and basked in the morning sun, apprentices that were not on patrol or doing chores played with the kits outside of the nursery, and patrols of cats carrying what prey they could catch in the poor season brought their scraps to the fresh kill pile.

A muscular brown tabby tom padded up to them, a curious expression on his face. "Welcome back, Firestar," the tom meowed and dipped his head to the other two toms. They, in response, flicked their ears and tails. "Are these the cats you spoke of earlier?"

"Yes, they are. Sapphire, Storm, this is Brambleclaw, the deputy of Thunderclan," Firestar introduced. "A deputy is a sort of second in command who is there for whenever the leader is unable to care for his duties…" he explained at the loners' confused expressions. "Brambleclaw, like I've told you, we're going to raise their kits to be warriors to help defend the clan."

"Of course, Firestar; it shall be a pleasure having them here," Brambleclaw flicked his ears at their guests. "We are very grateful for your decision in assisting our clan."

Sapphire dipped her head in a shy response while Storm huffed and nodded.

"I was going to have Lionblaze show Storm where to hunt around the territory. They've said that they wish to help the clan in whatever ways possible. Could I get you to call some cats to join them on an official patrol and wrangle up as much prey as they can?"

"Most definitely; I'll have Berrynose, Sorreltail, Sandstorm and Thornclaw join them at the tunnel when I go get cats for a border patrol."

"That is most appreciated, Brambleclaw. Oh, and is Jayfeather in his den?" the ginger tom asked as he motioned for Sapphire to move up next to him. "Sapphire has offered to help him in the medicine den until either she cannot move around much or until the kits are born."

"He is in his den speaking with Hollyleaf about her own expected kits. It is a real surprise, though, isn't it? Who would've expected her to go and have kits?" Mousewhisker purred and gave his thick, soft chest fur a few embarrassed, yet proud licks.

"Not that you would care," Lionblaze grumbled inaudibly and glared at the brown tom, though he was happy for his friend and his sister and the prospect of his future kin.

"I shall take you there, Sapphire," Brambleclaw mewed, "I'll introduce you to Jayfeather. Though, I will warn you while I have the chance; he can be a real grump." They, then, trotted toward one of the clefts where the medicine den was located.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Cat's Eye Moon-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A few moons later, Sapphire gave birth to three healthy kits. There were two she-kits and a tom in the litter. The tom had a white pelt that was patched with black and had deep – almost green – yellow eyes. He was given the name Moonkit. The first she-kit was a ginger and white tabby kit with light amber eyes. She, in turn, was given the name Sunkit. The last she-kit was a little unusual; she had pure white fur with one blue-green eye and one grayish eye; she was named Lunarkit.

Their parents left when Hollyleaf's kits, Leafkit and Fernkit, were born. The two loners swore that, some day, they would return for their kits. Even if they could not bring their kits with them, they would see them again. Then, the beautiful Sapphire and the strong Storm left without nearly trace of their existence besides the three kits.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"**The Ceremony"**

The day that Lunarkit and her littermates had waited their entire lives for had finally come! They would finally be apprentices! She wondered when Firestar would start the ceremony and hoped it wouldn't be too long.

It was now Greenleaf and the prey was at its best and most abundant. She and her littermates had been born in Leafbare and she preferred the cold rather than the warm. It made her feel more energetic in the snow with the coolness of frost in her pelt rather than warmer weather making her stuffy and suffocate in her own pelt.

She quickly found her thoughts drifting to who her future mentor would be. Would it be Poppyfrost? Probably not; her belly was getting plumper and she would probably be moving into the nursery with Berrynose's kits. Would it be Graystripe? She could only hope so; he was one of the best warriors in the clan. She had gotten so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed when Sunkit had trotted up to her.

"Hey, Lunarkit!" The white she-kit nearly leapt out of her own pelt as she was surprised from her sister. "Aw, look who's being a scaredy cat again!"

"Am not! You just surprised me is all. Anyway, what did you want?" Lunarkit asked while she acted nonchalant and tried to hide the warmth of embarrassment creeping into her fur.

"I wanted to talk about our epic future apprentice ceremony! I just can't wait for it!"

"Yep, me either! I can't wait to perfect the hunter's crouch!"

Sunkit started to giggle a little at her sister's comment. "Yeah, seeing how lousy you are at it now! You'd scare all the prey between here and Riverclan territory with the kind of crouch you've been doing!"

"Hey!"

"Plus, you're so clumsy!"

"I am NOT clumsy," Lunarpaw huffed at her sister. "The ground just hates me. Anyways, who do you think your mentor is going to be?"

"I, personally, think it's going to be Sandstorm."

"Why do you think that?" Lunarkit asked.

"Just a hunch, I guess," Sunpaw shrugged and got up. Lunarpaw followed her as they reached the fresh-kill pile where their brother, Moonkit, sat waiting for them.

"Hey, guys! Firestar just told me the ceremony's gonna be at sundown," the black and white tom reported. The three of them turned to look towards the Highledge where Firestar sat next to Brambleclaw, apparently discussing something.

When sun-down arrived, Firestar called the clan with the sacred words, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!"

When everyone in Thunderclan had gathered under where their leader sat, they all quieted down and sat for themselves their eyes expectant and excited. Which one of them would be mentoring the newly named apprentices? They looked as excited as the kits did.

Hollyleaf sat busily grooming Fernkit and Leafkit as much as she could while Mousewhisker sat tall and proud next to his mate and their kits. Lunarkit, Moonkit, and Sunkit sat in between their foster parents with their little chests sticking out in pride.

"By naming apprentices, we show that Thunderclan with survive and remain strong." The ginger tom looked down to the five kits below. "Moonkit," he began. The black-and-white tom calmly stepped forward, and Lunarkit wondered how he could be as collected as he was, while they were being apprenticed. "From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name he shall be known as Moonpaw!"

The small tom held his head high and his tail twitched in excitement. Firestar let his green eyes rest on the cat he had chosen to mentor Moonpaw and he called out:

"Dustpelt, you are ready to take on another apprentice and will be mentor to Moonpaw. Dustpelt, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of strength and loyalty. I'm sure you will pass on all that you know to your apprentice."

The dark brown tabby tom held his head as high as he touched noses with his new apprentice and the two moved to sit next to each other amongst the rest of their clanmates.

Sunpaw was quivering with excitement as she stepped forward when Firestar called for her to come forward. "Sunkit, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Sunpaw."

Sunpaw looked like she was energetic enough to start running around the entire camp three times, when she found out she was right about her guess on her mentor.

"Sandstorm, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You will be mentor to Sunpaw," the ginger tom looked at the paler ginger she-cat fondly while Sunpaw jumped up and down at the confirmation. "Sandstorm, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of patience and stealth. I'm sure you will do as great a job teaching her as you did Sorreltail."

The ginger she-cat stepped up to touch noses with her apprentice and went to sit next to Moonpaw and Dustpelt. "Finally, Lunarkit, please step forward." She obliged nervously. "Until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Lunarpaw. Lionblaze, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You will be mentor to Lunarpaw. Lionblaze, you have proven yourself a warrior of respect and power. I'm sure you will make your apprentice as great a warrior as you are." They touched noses and went to sit by her littermates and their mentors.

The leader turned to Hollyleaf's actual kits. The two black furred, green eyed kits sat at their parents' paws. "Fernkit," he called down to the she-cat. "You will be known as Fernpaw and your mentor shall be Cinderheart. Cinderheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice and I hope you will teach your apprentice the abilities it takes to be a warrior."

After they touched noses, Firestar regarded the final kit, the larger and longer furred tom of the two kits. "Leafkit, you will be known as Leafpaw. You and Jayfeather have told me of your interest and talent with herbs and understanding their ways. Do you wish to become Jayfeather's apprentice? And are you sure the path of a medicine cat is yours to take?"

"I'm sure," the tom said in a strong voice. Why is he not becoming a warrior? Lunarpaw wondered. He certainly is strong enough to be one…

"Then let it be so! Leafpaw, you are hereby Jayfeather's apprentice and will become the future medicine cat of Thunderclan."

The clan started cheering the apprentice's new names, "Moonpaw, Sunpaw, Lunarpaw, Fernpaw, Leafpaw! Moonpaw, Sunpaw, Lunarpaw, Fernpaw, Leafpaw!"

Lunarpaw ran over to her littermates. Sunpaw was bouncing up and down with hyper excitement, while Moonpaw had a content look on his face. Fernpaw was giddily chatting with Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Leafpaw; all three of them looked proud and happy, though Jayfeather and Hollyleaf seemed to share an expression of anxiety.

"Let's do our best as apprentices to be the most amazing warriors there ever were!" Moonpaw proposed. All three of them dipped their heads in agreement.

"Can we go see the territory?" Sunpaw asked Sandstorm.

"I don't see why not," the pale ginger she-cat purred. "Would you lot like to come with us?" she asked the other mentors.

"Can we, can we?" Lunarpaw and Moonpaw asked excitedly.

"I don't see any problems with that. What do you say, Lionblaze?" Dustpelt turned to the golden tom, an eyebrow raised teasingly.

"I don't know…" he said just as teasingly. "She may not be able to handle it just yet…"

"Lionblaze!" Lunarpaw pouted.

"All right, all right," he mewed in a relenting tone, but was given away by his amber eyes sparkling with laughter. "We'll go."

"Yay!"

They exited the camp and headed towards the Shadowclan border. "Whoa…!" Lunarpaw breathed to Sunpaw. "The territory is huge!"

Sunpaw nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah, it really is! The trees seem to go on forever and ever!"

"And they're so big and tall!" Moonpaw quipped.

The mentors shared an amused glance as their apprentices glanced around in awe of the Thunderclan territory.

After a bit, Lunarpaw and Lionblaze walked a little bit behind the others. He turned to her and asked, "Do you know who the leader of Shadowclan is?"

She turned to her mentor and said, "Blackstar?"

"Yes. Good. Who is the leader of Windclan?"

"Onestar. I heard that he used to be friends with Firestar… but is that really true?"

"Yes, but when he became the leader of Windclan he didn't want anything to do with us Thunderclan cats, since he thought the other clans would see an alliance as a sign of weakness," Lionblaze explained.

"If I was leader, I would want as many allies and friends as I could get," Lunarpaw puffed out her chest. "That way, if either of us were attacked, we would be there to help each other. Hey, if we were all allies, there wouldn't even be any need to fight!"

"That's good!" Lionblaze chuckled. "Let's hope you're leader someday to make that happen."

"Yup!"

"Anyway, who is the leader of Riverclan?" Lionblaze continued.

"Leopardstar was, but now Mistystar is. Why are you asking me all about the other clans?"

"I just want you prepared. Alright, who is the deputy of Shadowclan?"

"Russetfur was but then she died 'cause she was too old. Rowanclaw is the deputy now."

"I think we can stop the trivia game for now; it's pretty obvious you know your stuff. We should probably catch up to the others."

"Okay."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Cat's Eye Moon-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Two moons later, Lunarpaw spotted a large squirrel, a bit larger than her, nibbling on a stalk of grass. She stalked forward instinctively, slightly raising her tail off the ground and checking constantly so she wouldn't step on or rustle anything. She got so close to it that she could have simply bit its tail and trapped it. She pounced and before it could even squeal, she killed it with a swift bite to the neck.

"That was a brilliant catch!" Lionblaze praised, purring deeply. "I'd say you hardly needed any training! Just imagine what a bit more practice could do!"

Her fur burned warm at the praise as she carried her large squirrel back to camp. She walked straight past the fresh-kill pile with her catch still in her jaws.

"Lunarpaw," Lionblaze mewed curiously. "Where are you taking that?"

"The elders' den!" she called through her mouthful of squirrel fur, hoping he could understand her muffled response. She brought it in the hollow tree and bushes and set it down in front of the two elders.

"Is this for us?" Mousefur asked in surprise. "This is at least as twice as big as you are! Don't tell me you caught this yourself, and on your first time," she mewed.

"Yup! It didn't even know I was there until it was already too late," the white apprentice purred. "Here," she said, "I'll change your bedding while I'm at it." She set to work at carefully clawing the dry moss into balls and setting them at the entrance.

"What a thoughtful young cat she is," she could hear Mousefur saying through a mouthful of prey. "She does her work thoroughly, that one. And what a squirrel she caught; a nice, plump and juicy one."

Longtail nodded and said, "Good and stupid, too. I mean unless the hunter is good, which she is, but sometimes they act as if they want to be killed." he added kindly to Lunarpaw. "It's wonderful, though. I haven't had such a nice squirrel in moons. And it's been a long time since an apprentice has come to willingly change the bedding," said Longtail swallowing a piece of the prey. Mousefur nodded, agreeing.

"In repayment, would you like to hear a story?" the dusty brown she-cat asked.

"Sure!" she bounced slightly. As a kit, she had gone to the elders' den more than any of the others because she loved hearing the old cats speak stories of the past that she could only imagine. "Can it be about the old territories?"

Mousefur smiled and said, "Oh well, alright. We usually don't take requests, but why not? Ok so, how about the first time Firestar walked into the forest? Or the big forest fire?"

Lunarpaw considered it, but then said "How about something about Tigerstar?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"**The Story"**

Mousefur looked upset for a moment, but then her disconcerted expression became intrigued. "Of course; just let me think for a second. Oh yes, here's one. The tale of Tigerstar begins long, long ago when there was a fight in the old forest. I was part of this fight, mind you," the elderly she-cat nudged the apprentice with her paw. "This particular battle was over a piece of territory called Sunning rocks, and was between Thunderclan and Riverclan. The territory rightfully belonged to Thunderclan, but Riverclan never seemed to learn it was ours and always tried to fight for it. The Thunderclan deputy at the time, Redtail, led the patrol to Sunning rocks but was murdered by Tigerstar, who was known as Tigerclaw back then, in hope that he would be the deputy in his place. But he wasn't chosen; Lionheart took his place instead."

Longtail shook his head. "If only he had kept it that way for a bit longer…"

"Oh, hush!" Mousefur flicked his muzzle with her tail. "Now, where was I? … Oh, yes. Alright, I remember now. Lionheart became Bluestar's deputy. And a good deputy he was; he was always a nice tom and caring clanmate, making him a popular choice. Though it wasn't long until he died in a battle against Shadowclan and Tigerclaw had finally gotten what he wanted all along. He had become the Thunderclan deputy," she paused with her small head bowed, most likely mourning over Lionheart, then she shook herself and continued.

"Even though he was deputy, it still wasn't enough for him and his ambitions. He wanted to be the leader and to have more power than anyone else; he wanted to rule the entire forest, it seemed like. He would have been if it wasn't for Firestar, known as Fireheart back then. Tigerclaw had led a gang of rouges, introduced to him by the ex-leader of Shadowclan, Brokenstar, to the camp and attacked Bluestar. Bluestar was the leader before Firestar. He had her cornered in her den, so I heard. But, before the dastardly tom could do so much as harm a single one of her whiskers, Firestar fought off that evil cat."

"Well," quipped Longtail, "for a short while at least."

"I suppose that's correct," Mousefur remarked bitterly. "Anyway, he was then driven into exile and Firestar was made deputy, but the damage was done and it was permanent. Bluestar was never the same again, went a bit mental in my opinion. But after that Tigerclaw went to Shadowclan and became leader there. It's a wonder to this day why Starclan would dream of giving such a cat nine lives! Anyways, after that, he got dogs – would you believe that? A cat commanding dogs as if he were a twoleg! He got dogs to terrorize the clan. You see what happened to Brightheart? She and an apprentice named Swiftpaw went to the dog pack's den. Swiftpaw was killed, very unfortunately, and Brightheart was maimed. In a plan to get the dogs out of the territory, Bluestar fell in the river and drowned, losing her last life…" Mousefur looked somewhat shaken. Lunarpaw kept still and quiet and didn't dare interrupt.

Mousefur resumed reluctantly, "Excuse me for leaving out many details; there were too many things that happened in such a short time. Tigerstar got Leopardstar, the newly appointed Riverclan leader, to join him and make something he called Tigerclan. A period of darkness if anything… He got a horrible cat to work for him to help him rule the forest. His name was Scourge, the leader of Bloodclan. It wasn't even a real clan! Nothing but a bunch of rouges, loners, and kittypets trying to imitate us! They didn't even believe in Starclan!"

"Don't forget," Longtail reminded her, "that Firestar had Windclan join us and we became Lionclan."

"Oh, yes… My memory is starting to get away from me… Anyhow, Scourge tricked Tigerstar and wouldn't obey him, so Tigerstar became so lived that he ended up attacking Scourge in an attempt to kill him. That ended up being the last thing he ever did. Scourge killed him, taking all nine lives in one death blow, and tried to take over the forest. What remained of Shadowclan – including the band of rogues – Riverclan and Lionclan joined together to defeat Bloodclan. Longtail and I helped of course, mind you," she said and I purred in pride at my older clanmates. "Firestar's first deputy, Whitestorm, was killed and Firestar slew Scourge. And thus, that ends our story, now go get some rest. You've done such a good job I'll even tell Firestar. Now run along."

Lunarpaw wanted to rest more than anything, but she still couldn't think about anything but what she had just heard. She dipped her head in goodbye and left the fallen hollow tree that made the elder's den.

Walking towards the fresh-kill pile she saw Sunpaw and Foxpaw sitting rather close sharing a thrush. She called out a greeting, which they either didn't hear or chose to not reply to her. Sighing, she picked out a mouse from the top of the pile. Lunarpaw decided to ignore her sister's behavior for now, but Sunpaw would definitely hear about it later. Instead, Lunarpaw began to pad over to Moonpaw, who was lying by the nettle patch, eating a vole. He looked up, as Lunarpaw sat down with her mouse.

"Hey Lunarpaw. What's the matter? You look kind of agitated." Lunarpaw, only then noticed, that her tail had been swishing back and forth, and her neck was bristling.

"Do you know anything about Sunpaw and Foxpaw?" Moonpaw looked surprised.

"What do you mean?"

Lunarpaw started to shuffle her paws, suddenly embarrassed about the subject. "Well, I mean, have you noticed that they've been spending a lot of time together and that they're always so close to each other? I mean look! Their pelts are brushing right now!"

Moonpaw mrrowed in laughter at her explanation. "What's with you? I am being perfectly serious." He shook his head.

"No, it's not that. They obviously like each other."

Lunarpaw's eyes widened. "WHAT?" Moonpaw flinched from the volume of her voice, and a few cats turned from what they were doing to stare at her.

"Quiet. You're being a little too loud. It's perfectly natural they would like each other. I think I even like someone."

Lunarpaw looked at him as if he was a flying hedgehog. "What? Why? Who? Why? What?"

Moonpaw diverted his eyes from hers, and said, "Its Rosepaw." Lunarpaw looked over at where the cream apprentice sat with her brother Toadpaw. Toadpaw was a black and white tom, and they were Spiderleg's and Daisy's kits. That being said, Spiderleg really hadn't meant to have kits with the queen and had voiced this many times. However, he did love his kits and tried to be as good as a father to them as he could be.

"Why do you both like someone?" Lunarpaw asked in disbelief.

"Well I think Rosepaw is really nice, and she's pretty and she likes kits, and-" he was cut off by Lunarpaw saying, "So you like her just 'cause of those things?" He nodded.

"Then why does Sunpaw like Foxpaw?"

Moonpaw shook his head and said, "Well she probably has her reasons, like I have mine to love the cat that fate introduces me to." Lunarpaw scoffed.

"Love? Fate? Who needs that? If you ask me that's just a load of mouse-dung. I'm not going to fall for that. You don't need any of those things to be a great warrior."

Moonpaw sighed and shrugged. "Who knows? Someday you might find that special cat that makes you feel different about it."

She snorted, "Yeah and hedgehogs will fly. I don't need a tom to make me happy. Plus you're a tom. I'm a she-cat. Do you know what eventually happens to she-cats who get mates?"

He tilted his head and said, "What?"

Lunarpaw sighed, exasperated. Brothers! "They get stuck in the nursery, with a bunch of mewling kits! Plus they don't get to do their warrior duties. They have to go through all of that for a whole six moons too. That would just be awful."

"Well what if you wanted kits?" Lunarpaw turned to him to see a solemn expression on his face. "I want to confess to Rosepaw and be the father of her kits. I know it sounds weird, but I love her and I want to see if she feels the same way." And with that the black and white tom padded over to the dark cream she-cat and sat down next to her.

Lunarpaw could tell he was upset with her. What the heck? I was talking about me not wanting love, not him. I wonder if Sunpaw wants the same thing from Foxpaw. Maybe I should talk to him instead of Sunpaw! That way I won't end up with both siblings upset with me! Oh and why do they want kits when they're just apprentices? Lunarpaw thought.

She saw Foxpaw get up, lick Sunpaw's ear, and pad towards the Highstone where Fernpaw and Leafpaw were sharing a starling. She bounded over to the ginger tom and said, "Hi Foxpaw. What are you doing?"

He turned at the sound of her voice and said, "Oh, hi Lunarpaw. I'm just waiting for Icepaw to get back from evening patrol." Icepaw was a fluffy, white ball of energy that Foxpaw called a sister. And she was a close friend of Lunarpaw's whom she looked up to as her senior. "So…" Foxpaw continued warmly, "What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask you about some stuff," Lunarpaw replied.

"Like what?"

Like how you're attaching yourself to my sister. "Well I noticed that lately, you and Sunpaw have been doing almost everything together and how close you two are getting."

Foxpaw beamed at her. "You can tell?" purred embarrassedly, giving his shoulder a sheepish lick or two. "I just think Sunpaw is the best! Her fluffy ginger fur; her pretty amber eyes; the way she gets so excited over the smallest thing."

That's a reason you should be afraid of her, not like her, thought Lunarpaw. "Well, are you two going to be mates when you're warriors?"

Foxpaw was grinning ear to ear. "Gee, I sure hope so. We've been talking about what we would name our kits! Did you know that she wants a she-kit named Snowpaw?" Lunarpaw shook her head and said, "No. I didn't."

The reddish tom suddenly gasped and made Lunarpaw jump. Now she could see the chemistry between her sister and the tabby tom sitting next to her.

"What's the matter?"

He began to shuffle his paws, and he said, "If Sunpaw and I do become mates, that means you and I will be kin!"

Lunarpaw's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that. She looked towards where her brother was and saw his tail intertwined with Rosepaw's. She turned back to Foxpaw and said,

"Yeah, I guess we will." Foxpaw's tail started to swish happily and he purred. "Maybe you can even mentor our kits. I hope you like them. Although I just know they're going to be the best kits Thunderclan has ever seen! Oh, I see Icepaw. See you later Lunarpaw!" The ginger tabby gave her a small lick on the cheek before bounding towards his sister. Lunarpaw brought a paw to her cheek. Why would he do that?

She saw Sunpaw stalking towards her angrily. "What do you think you're doing?" the ginger she-cat practically snarled at her.

"I didn't do anything!" I replied baffled. "I just sat here and listened to him going on and on about how in love you two are, and that you guys want kits and everything! He said he wants me to mentor one…"

Sunpaw's look of fury turned into one of adoration. "Isn't he great!? He is even making friends with his future kin! Sorry I got mad at you sis. See you in the den?" Lunarpaw nodded nervously as she watched her infatuated sister walk dreamily towards the apprentices' den.

Disgusted, Lunarpaw thought, See what love does to a cat? It's just awful, and it's so… disgusting! It makes cats way too clingy! I didn't even know Sunpaw was the jealous type. Lunarpaw padded after her sister to sleep. She was exhausted after hearing about her littermate's love interests and, to be honest, put off and annoyed.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"**Warriors"**

All was quiet in Thunderclan territory until… WHOOSH! Lunarpaw jumped out of the holly bush she had previously been hiding in and pounced on Lionblaze's shoulders, catching him of his guard and toppling him over leaving his belly exposed. They wrestled and she pummeled his belly with her back paws with her claws sheathed. Finally, she pinned him down.

"Where in the name of Starclan did that come from!" exclaimed Lionblaze, who was panting for breath. He had been on his way to meet her in the training hollow so they could practice some battle moves with the other apprentices and their mentors. Lunarpaw had told him she would go ahead and had secretly laid in waiting on the path they always took, ready to surprise her mentor.

"I learned it from you Lionblaze," she purred in satisfaction. "My timing was wonderful if I do say so myself," she boasted playfully, while licking her front paw and dragging it casually over her ears. They headed towards the training hollow, trading teasing remarks.

It was now five moons into her apprentice training and Lunarpaw had been doing pretty well to say the least. The rest of the mentors and apprentices heavily appreciated Lionblaze's advice and helpful input, so they ended up doing battle training a lot. The apprentices were now practicing counter and surprise attacks and the others were wrapping up the lessons. He decided it was time to dismiss the apprentices and their mentors.

"That's enough for one day. We'll continue tomorrow after we go out on a hunting patrol," he said to Foxpaw, Moonpaw, and Fernpaw – the other apprentices who were at the training session. "Lunarpaw I'd like to talk with you for a moment," Lionblaze added to her. She padded over to him while the others left the clearing.

"What is it Lionblaze?" she asked him politely, though she wasn't in the mood to talk, because she was tired and hungry and wanted to go to camp. Despite her fatigue, she was genuinely curious to see what he had to say.

"You need to see Firestar later," he grumbled. "He wants to make you a warrior in a moon." He clearly sounded upset. She didn't react at first, because she thought that he was pulling at her tail.

"What? No way! Why?" Lunarpaw squealed while jumping up and down with joy. "I can't believe it!"

"Neither can I," Lunarpaw heard Lionblaze mumble quite bitterly.

"What's the matter Lionblaze? You sound like a badger with a thorn on its rump."

He blinked at her in amusement before saying, "It's no big deal, Lunarpaw. Go on back to camp; I'll be there in a little bit." He trotted away, leaving a confused Lunarpaw.

When Lunarpaw got back to the camp, only a few cats were out of their dens; the rest of the clan presumably on hunting and border patrols.

Cloudtail and Sorreltail were sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile. Spiderleg and Thornclaw were keeping the kits entertained while Icepaw and Sunpaw cleaned out the nursery. The queens were sunning themselves, and Berrynose was sharing tongues with Poppyfrost whose belly was round and heavy with their kits. Whitewing was also growing heavier each day with Birchfall's kits.

Lunarpaw picked her way up the Highledge and called into her leader's den. "Firestar, are you in there?" She heard movement and Firestar appeared in the opening.

"Lunarpaw, there you are. I've been meaning to talk with you." Lunarpaw and Firestar entered the den and settled on the mossy floor. Cutting to the chase, he said, "Lunarpaw, Thunderclan is in grave danger. We need more warriors, and out of all the other apprentices I think you would make the best warrior to defend this clan."

What danger? Did Jayfeather or Leafpaw know about this? "Of course Firestar, but why can only one of us become a warrior? You said you needed more warriors, so why only one? And what danger must we face?"

Firestar nodded, probably expecting her to ask so many questions. "You are the only one who is ready enough, and the dangers we are to confront needs mature warriors. As for what it is, I am not yet sure. Starclan has told Jayfeather, Leafpaw and I little about the problem. So, do you think you're up for it?"

"Of course Firestar," she said.

"Your ceremony shall be held after the next full moon. Also you, Sunpaw, Moonpaw, Icepaw, and Foxpaw shall go to the gathering tonight."

Lunarpaw dipped her head in farewell and left to rest before the Gathering. In the den she told her denmates they were going to the gathering. As soon as she mentioned that she would be becoming a warrior all flipped out and demanded a reason why. The others were all jealous and slightly outraged. She somehow got them to calm down and said that it was probably just because there weren't that many young warriors to defend the clan. Many of the cats were from the old territory and were very old; Firestar included.

One thing specifically bothered her other than the danger that Firestar mentioned. Why was Lionblaze so upset that his apprentice was good enough to become a warrior a little early? He probably thought she needed more training before becoming a warrior or that she was still only nine moons old and the others still had three moons left, with the exception of Icepaw and Foxpaw who only had one moon left. That would make some sense, she thought. But Lunarpaw knew there was more to it than that. What, she didn't know, but she knew it was more than that.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her leader calling for the cats that were going to the gathering. All the cats chosen to go began exiting the camp through the tunnel and started padding around the lake towards the island. Graystripe and Brambleclaw were at the front of the patrol with Firestar. The rest of the clan was in the middle while Moonpaw, Sunpaw, Icepaw, Foxpaw, and Lunarpaw kept to the back just a little bit behind their mentors.

When their patrol reached the island Lunarpaw could smell Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan. On the island Lunarpaw asked Icepaw, "Do you know any of the apprentices from the other clans?"

Despite having come to two other gatherings, it was Lunarpaw's last time to a gathering as an apprentice so she felt she needed to make friends in the other clans.

The white she-cat nodded. "Tigerpaw and Owlpaw from Shadowclan are cool, but I like to hang out with Dawnpaw who is also Shadowclan. Segepaw, Swallopaw, and Thistlepaw from Windclan are somewhat nice too."

She said goodbye to Lunarpaw and trotted towards a dark gray she-cat that smelled like fish. She must be from Riverclan, Lunarpaw thought. She saw her own siblings talking to a couple of apprentices from the other clans.

A dark brown tabby tom bumped into her and apologized. "I'm so sorry." The tom bowed his head and avoided eye contact.

Lunarpaw could tell that this cat was embarrassed and she felt kind of bad for him. "Oh, that's alright," she mewed politely. "I'm Lunarpaw and you are?" The tom looked up and his eyes widened.

He started to shuffle his paws and said, "My name is Tigerpaw. I'm from Shadowclan." Ah… he was one of the cats Icepaw mentioned earlier.

Lillypaw smiled at him and said, "I'm from Thunderclan. Do you want to be friends?" Tigerpaw nodded and stopped shuffling his paws.

"That would be nice." Lunarpaw beamed at him.

"Do you want to take a look around the lake?"

"Sure."


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Okay, so this is the last rewritten chapter and all the chapters from this point on will be new material. Thank you so very much to the people who have followed and supported this story from the beginning and I love all of you! Thanks!

**Chapter 4**

"**New Love"**

Lunarpaw and Tigerpaw walked side by side along the shore of the island, the sounds and scents of the gathering hidden among the trees. Lunarpaw sat to look at the lake. The stars in the night sky reflected off of its surface. She looked up to see Silverpelt. She silently wondered what her ancestors had in store for her clan and why they needed her to become a warrior so soon.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Not as beautiful as you." Lunarpaw turned and cocked her head at him, not having heard what he had said.

"What?" Tigerpaw looked as if his pelt might burn off.

"Nothing…"

They heard Blackstar call out to start the meeting. They ran towards the inner line of trees before anyone could notice they were missing. Blackstar was speaking, "… And our warriors Rowanclaw and Smokefoot bravely chased them out."

"What is he talking about?" Lunarpaw whispered to Tigerpaw.

"Two badgers were found in the territory. Our senior warrior, Smokefoot, and our deputy, Rowanclaw, drove them out."

Onestar stepped up and began to speak, "All is well with Windclan. The hunting is good and three kits have been born. Crowfeather and Nightcloud have given birth to Darkkit, Ravenkit, and Cloudkit." A black tom with piercing blue eyes looked up in what seemed like annoyance and distaste. Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather all stared at him with what seemed like concealed hatred.

Mistystar spoke, "All is well with Riverclan. The fish have been plentiful and Willowshine has gotten her Medicine Cat Name."

It was finally Firestar's turn to speak. "Thunderclan has been well this moon. Hunting is good and there have been no threats. All of the clans seem to be at peace for the moment."

His words only made me think, the peace before the storm.

Firestar left with some of the Thunderclan warriors as did the other leaders. Only a few cats remained. "Do you have to go now Tigerpaw?" Lunarpaw asked.

Tigerpaw shook his head and said, "I want to spend more time with you, Lunarpaw."

She was slightly surprised, and she looked into his eyes. She saw something weird in his eyes. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it affected her, because she felt her heart start to flutter. Not knowing what this meant, she nodded and smiled at him.

They walked toward the Shadowclan and Thunderclan border. As they walked their pelts brushed. She heard Lionblaze calling out her name. Lunarpaw stopped and licked Tigerpaw's ear, believing that it was okay due to the fact they were only friends.

"I have to go now. See you at the next gathering?"

"That seems like a really long time, doesn't it?" the brown tom asked her.

"True… then when can we meet next?"

He purred and said, "In two moonrises from now." They nodded in agreement and padded in the opposite directions.

Once she got back to the rest of the Thunderclan cats and they set off towards camp. Icepaw was talking with Sunpaw about the meeting, while Foxpaw was forced to listen to Toadpaw and Moonpaw talking about the cute she-cats from the other clans.

Icepaw glanced at her and noticed Lillypaw was acting different. She said, "I'll see you in a bit Sunpaw." The white she-cat slowed her pace to wait for Lunarpaw to catch up to her.

"Whats the matter Lunarpaw?"

The white she-cat looked up. "What are you talking about?"

The two she-cats were now walking next to each other.

"Well, you're acting kind of weird."

"Weird how?" Icepaw stepped forward and gave Lunarpaw's shoulder a sniff. Lunarpaw jumped back and Icepaw gasped.

"You even smell like Shadowclan!" she whispered loudly, but only so the two of them could hear.

"Oh, that must be from the friend I made at the gathering."

Icepaw gave a smirk and said, "Who is it? Is it a tom? Is he cute?" Lunarpaw cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"He's Tigerpaw."

"Tigerpaw, huh? What do you think of him?" Lunarpaw was still confused.

"He seems nice, so I asked him to be friends."

Icepaw pouted and said, "Aw, being just friends is so boring."

"What do you mean?"

Icepaw smirked again and said, "I mean, do you like him as more than a friend or what?" Lunarpaw's eyes widened as she realized what the older she-cat meant.

She frantically shook her head and indignantly whisper-yelled, "No! No! No! No! No! Not like that! We're just friends! He's from another clan anyway! Like I would even think about breaking the warrior code just to be mates with some tom!"

"Okay, Lunarpaw." Icepaw said in a sing-song voice. "But when you realize you actually do like him, give me a meow." The white she-cat padded to rejoin the others.

"Isn't going to happen!" Lunarpaw grumbled, put off by what the other she-cat said. What made her think her clanmate would break the warrior code? Was she jealous that Lunarpaw would become a warrior before her?

Reluctantly, she followed the older apprentice and joined her and the others. Once they got back to the camp, everyone padded towards their dens while others stayed out to tell of the gathering with those that couldn't go.

Lunarpaw started to walk towards the apprentices den when Firestar called out for her to come to his den. She padded over to him and asked him what he needed.

"I am not sure if I should make you a warrior just yet, seeing that it would be unfair to the others. It's still something I am thinking about, but I cannot be sure."

"That's fine, Firestar." Lunarpaw replied. "I'll do whatever you want me to do. You are my leader after all." She padded away from her leader and towards the apprentice's den again.

The ginger tom seemed shocked at first, and then he smiled warmly at the young she-cat. If only she knew, he thought.

After she curled up in her nest, she fell asleep almost immediately. Her dreams were filled with horror, despair, and pain. She saw fire surrounding the camp and twolegs crashing through, destroying everything in sight. Cats were leaping away in fright, being forced to ignore the corpses of their old clanmates lying on the upturned earth. The trunks of trees made sickening cracking sounds as they were pushed over and broken by monsters.

Lunarpaw jolted awake, her breathing shallow and irregular. "Hey! Do you mind keeping it down a little?" Toadpaw demanded in a loud whisper.

"S-sorry, Toadpaw. I was having a really bad dream is all." She tried to keep her voice from wavering and her tail from trembling so the tom wouldn't notice. It was a failed attempt as he looked her over slightly.

He sat up in his nest and said, "Yeah, you're telling me. More like a full blown nightmare. Seriously, what's bothering you, Lunarpaw?"

"A bad dream," she repeated. "That's all." Lunarpaw looked away, avoiding eye contact. The sight of his broken body lying next to a splintered tree flashed in her mind. "Well, at least I hope it is…" she said the last part in a whisper so quiet, Toadpaw could barely make out the words. But he did either way.

"It can't be just a bad dream for you to be shifting and mewling like a kit. Now, tell me what the heck that dream was about."

She contemplated whether or not she should tell him, not wanting to cause any panic. She looked at his serious expression and decided he should know. Maybe he could help figure out what it meant. She told him and, when she was done, he shivered and looked at her with sympathetic eyes. He almost looked completely mature and understanding, unlike the usual loud and impatient Toadpaw. Lunarpaw felt her fur get hot and her heart flutter like it did with Tigerpaw, but she had no idea as to why. Were she and Toadpaw good friends?

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have wanted to see any of that either." He slowly padded over to her to let her lay her head in the crook of his neck and twist his tail with hers. Her pelt seemed to burn in embarrassment, but it slowly became a somewhat comfortable warmth. She had no idea of why it was so warm but she relaxed into his fur.

x-x-x-x-x-x-Cat's Eye Moon-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, Lunarpaw woke up to squeals and snarls coming from the other apprentices. She tried to stretch, but she felt the weight of another cat holding her down. She glanced to her left and saw Toadpaw pinning her down, unconsciously, and letting deep purrs escape his throat. She had forgotten that they had fallen asleep next to each other and that he had accidentally fallen asleep in her nest when he had gone to comfort her.

She looked up at the apprentices to see their mixed reactions. Foxpaw and Moonpaw both looked very upset and were glaring at the black and white apprentice on top of her. Rosepaw, Sunpaw, and Icepaw were all squealing in glee at the fact that their little Lunarpaw was growing up.

Lunarpaw pushed the tom off of her and exclaimed, "I-it's not what y-you think!" All of the apprentices gave her funny looks and she could only stutter and try to explain their situation. "I'm telling the t-truth! I s-swear!"

Toadpaw sat up, groggily, and looked around at everyone. He saw their expressions and turned to look at Lunarpaw. He saw her panicking and running around the den, completely embarrassed.

"What's going on?" he asked in monotone, obviously confused as to why he had been woken up. All he could remember was falling asleep and waking up next to something soft, warm, and nice-smelling. "What's with the weird looks and why is Lunarpaw running around the den, her face looking as red as a fox's fur?"

"It's 'cause we all found you sleeping together," Moonpaw hissed angrily.

"You were pinning her down and purring." Icepaw said with a smug look on her face.

"I didn't know you liked her, bro. I thought you were supposed to tell me everything because I'm your sister! If you're gonna sleep with someone, don't you think you should have the courtesy to tell everyone else?" Rosepaw smirked down at her brother.

Sunpaw had been trying to calm Lunarpaw down yet failed each time. "Are you sure we shouldn't have named her Flusteredpaw? 'Cause that name fits a lot right more than her actual one right about now."

"So, did you two have any fun?" Foxpaw spat his question at Toadpaw, his voice covered in fury.

"Like heck we did!" was his response as he hissed at the ginger tom, bristling until he was twice his size.

"Are you sure you haven't been doing anything to her in her sleep?" Moonpaw asked, unsure of how to take the situation of waking up and seeing his sister being practically molested in her sleep by some random cat. Though, it didn't settle well with him at all.

"I told you we didn't! For Starclan's sake, can't you hear what I'm saying!?" Toadpaw's face was twisted in a defensive snarl and was almost as frantically embarrassed as Lunarpaw.

"Pretty sure we all understand what you're saying..." Sunpaw said, trying to hold a struggling Lunarpaw down. "But at the same time, how are we supposed to believe you?"

"What in the name of Starclan are you doing!?" asked Lunarpaw from where she was being dragged across the den by her sister.

"I am going to tie you down so you can answer us properly."

"He already told you the truth!"

"Yeah… But he was on the top, so we can't be too sure, now can we?"

Icepaw looked confused the entire time. "Hey, Lunarpaw?"

"I'm a little busy with the whole crazy sister thing, in case you hadn't noticed," she sighed, "but what is it?"

"Whatever happened to Tigerpaw?"

"Who's Tigerpaw?" asked Moonpaw, clearly upset. "Don't tell me you've been sleeping with this guy too!"

"WHAT? I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING OF THE SORT! WHAT KIND OF SHE-CAT DO YOU THINK I AM?"

"Well, jeez. You didn't have to get so stinking mad…"

"Anyways… who is the guy?" Rosepaw asked.

"He's a Shadowclan apprentice that Lunarpaw likes."

"WHAT?" everyone besides Icepaw yelled in surprise and utter shock.

"I do NOT like him!" Lunarpaw shouted at all of them, just as loud as they had been. "I don't like anyone, ok?"

"You sure seemed to like Toadpaw last night." Moonpaw muttered.

"Eh…? What was that, Moonpaw?" Lunarpaw asked, the fur around her neck prickling in anger, almost daring him to say anything against her.

"Oh, nothing…"

"Good."

Lunarpaw left the apprentice's den in a fit as Brambleclaw was making the patrols. "Lionblaze, you shall lead the border patrol. And I shall lead the hunting patrol. Ok, everyone, let's get going."

The patrols left the camp and Lunarpaw made her way to the nursery to bring the queens prey and see how Cherrykit and Molekit were. The two kits had been born and Poppyfrost had been more aggravated than ever. It was enough with Berrynose never leaving her alone, but now she had his two VERY mischievous kits to look after.

As she entered, the two kits ran up to her and began to smother her and the prey she had brought them. The queens, being Daisy, Millie, Poppyfrost, and Ferncloud all gathered around the two kits and pulled them away from the she-cat they were impaling with their tails and paws. Whitewing sat in her nest and looked on, her belly huge with kits.

"These two are going to make great apprentices," Lunarpaw commented to Poppyfrost, "and great warriors, when the time comes."

"Do you really think that?"

"Of course I do!"

"That means a lot. At first I thought they might annoy others but it seems they're doing fine on their own."

"What's it like? Having kits, I mean," Lunarpaw asked the older she-cat as her two kits suckled at her belly.

"It's wonderful, especially when it's with the tom you love! I love Berrynose and he is such a kind father to them. A real thorn in my side, sure, but he only does what he does out of love for me and the kits."

"Really…"

"Is there a tom you like? I heard from some of the others that you and Toadpaw have gotten pretty close lately."

"Not-not really…" she trailed off, a blush gracing her face. Was this rumor all around and about the camp?

"Hmm. I don't know… you two do seem rather cute together, if you ask me."

"Alrighty then, but it's not true. That's just some kit-tale that the other she-cat apprentices made up because they have nothing else to do. It's nothing more than a stupid made-up rumor."

"Okay, but what about when you mature? Grow older?" the tortoiseshell and white she-cat asked her before the younger white and ginger she-cat left.

"Being mature is overrated," she said whilst leaving the nursery.


End file.
